Louie the Fly

Louie the Fly

Louie da fly, I'm Louie da fly

Straight from rubbish tip to you...

Spreading disease with the greatest of easeStraight from rubbish tip to youI'm bad and mean and mighty unclean

Mortein's1962 Louie the fly ad campaign was one of the most successful ever launched in Australia. Louie was a tough talking, street-wise insect, who never seriously underestimated the chemical power of a good fly spray. The animation was created by British born cartoonist Geoffrey Morgan Pike and originally voiced by Neil Williams in a campaign put together by creative director Bryce Courtenay, who went on to become a highly successful novelist.

Afraid of no-one, 'cept the man with da can of Mortein... Hate that word Mortein...brrrr...jeeeeeeee

According to legend, Courtenay scribbled out the ad concept in 1957 while riding in a taxi on his way to meet the managing director of Mortein, Bill Graham. It proved to be a terrific concept and Morgan's drawings and music/lyrics of the jingle, written by James Joseph White, helped to firmly embed Louiethe Fly in the national consciousness.So successful was the Louie campaign it's been retrieved in a new form more than once - most recently in 3D animation.